


Of shadows and myths

by Mabonsplace



Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Azriel is visiting the winter court, F/M, Romance, The Winter Court (ACoTaR), Winter fairytale, this is Azriels story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:46:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27759364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mabonsplace/pseuds/Mabonsplace
Summary: On the way back from the winter court Azriel encounters strange whispers coming from the shadows. He leaves off to investigate and gets lost in a unpredicted snow storm, leading him straight to a girl living in a secluded part of the kingdom, which seems to be forgotten by all other parts of the world
Relationships: Azriel (ACoTaR)/Original Character(s), Azriel (ACoTaR)/Original Female Character(s), azriel - Relationship
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

Lora POV

Azriel stepped off the platform and started walking towards me. The fire cast flickering warm lights all over his face. “Lora.”

I had woken up shortly after I noticed him walking outside.

Not sure how to approach him, I had gone through some of my books and started preparing some food for later.

But now Azriel was taking away my attention once more, standing closer to me than anyone had for a very long time.

“Azriel.”

My eyes flicked back to his face.” Did you find anythingof importance yet?”

Smiling at his perplexed expression I slaundered over to thebrewing and started to stirr it.

Not ready to look at him again, I concentrated on chopping some vegetables. This was quite surely going to be one hell of an experimental soup. He quietly moved to the other side of the table and joined me in cutting some of the other vegetables. We worked like this for some time.

“So,” I finally said, forcing myself to meet his gaze again, “The night court. You must know the stories which are told. Are they true?” If yes, I might just have accepted a murderous fae on my doorstep yesterday, which was absolutely not a great deal. Azriel clenched his jaw, taking a moment to answerbefore Looking at me.

“It’s quite different than most of the other courts assume”, he said, leveling me with a look I didn’t quite understand. “Our High Lord is not the villain everyone makes him, but yes, depravity has always lingered there.”

His answer made me feel a little bit lighter, but still I was wary of him. Though I hadn’t spoken the words I really wanted to know aloud, they were still lingering between us. Are you safe for me?

To be fair, I hadn’t seen much outside of this small place I’d called home. Like anything at all. I liked my small house, it kept me from freezing and most things were provided here. At the same time it had simply never been a choice of mine to stay here. Which also meant that I had never experienced meeting other fae, so I really prayed my intuition was sending me the right signals here and Azriel truely meant no harm.

“Do you have to rush back to your home?” Looking away, I hoped this didn’t sound as desperate as it did to me. Never ask for anything that’s not given freely.

This moment felt like a page out of my life he been taken out of time and space and my normal world was still somewhere going on without me. Some part of me still didn’t believe he was here. And somehow I hoped for this small moment to last just a tiny bit longer.

“I have to report back, but there’s no immediate place I have to go to at the moment.” Searching for something to do, he shifted closer to the space where I was standing. His expressionless face must win him some games from time to time. I really couldn’t tell at all what was on his mind.” I’d hate to cause more disturbance to your life than I’ve already done,” he angled his head, than continued, “ If you’d rather have me out sooner I would totally understand.” He was still helping me with the food, now a bit unsure about continuing and looked up at me.

“It’s really not what I meant”, I replied, suddenly feeling a bit breathless from his nearness. This kitchen really was not made for more people at once. “You can stay here. Its nice having someone here I can talk to.” I actually really liked his presence here, in a way his quiet ways had a very calming influence on me. And there was also a weird warmth he was radiating, everytime he was near me. I was so ready to see more people again. Maybe I was just so depraved from social interaction. That had to be it.

Azriel rana hand through his hair. “Thank you,” he said, seeming to loose a sigh and nodded distantly.


	2. a peaceful meal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this is going to be a small chapter again, I will try to make them longer, but at the moment I still need time to edit them, hope you guys understand thanks for the kuddos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So i promise the next chapters are going to be more about what’s happening, I just needed a few chapters to get into the setting 💙💙

Lora POV 

We ate in silence, the only noise coming from the silverware we were using. I was enjoying my soup, while azriel was currently eating bread. Outside the snow had set, leaving the sky open like a blue ocean, much brighter than before.

“Have you always been here alone?”his gaze flicked over to mine for a moment.

“As long as I could remember,” I gave him a tentative smile, an instinctive reaction I had. Deciding to be honest with him I added, „my mother used to live here with me, then she went away, for the war I think. There’s never been another message since then.”

Suddenly very done with my food, I felt nauseous. Needing a moment, I looked out into the forest, seeing the first sun streaks shining through. There was no reason for me to feel like this, as I had gone through this time and time again.

After a time and some I felt much better and stared back at azriel, meeting his gaze straight on.

„I’m sorry for bringing this up“ he said, „my intention wasn’t to upset you“ sincerity shined through his eyes. Giving him a small smile, I leaned back and replied.

“It’s fine, really. You’re actually the first one I’ve spoken to since her.” Well, really not the right thing to say to make anyone feel better, I stared at my feet and started to stretch them under the table, a nervous habit I had picked up. In the awkward silence that stretched, I shifted a bit more and then tried a smile again.

“I’m truely sorry.” He said again, now also done with the food, he folded everything neatly and turned his full attention to me. “Would you like to join me, outside? My friends from the winter court had been the one to see me here, then after that I went in to return home, when this.. storm came up. Very strange, I swear I had seen someone there.” His explanation made sense, I had found him in a absolutely dangerous state, not even being able to talk throughly yesterday, when he turned up at my place. His skin had almost been the color of the evening snow, and the only thing he managed to do then was taking the few steps up into my house. Then he collapsed.

Half in shock, I almost didn’t catch him. His heart beat had been so still then, even the winds outside seemed to be stomping around in comparison. And for a few delicate moments I thought I wouldn’t get him back. This stranger, whoever he was.

As the night went on, he surprised me when he seemed to be regenerating. I knew that even with far strength, not all wounds could heal again. Maybe the damage hadn’t been as bad as I thought.

So lost in my own thoughts, I didn’t notice that azriel had been waiting for my answer. Tentatively I tugged at my sleeves, thinking about his question for a moment. I was dying to go outside again, there wasn’t a day I didn’t want to. At the same time there was a small place inside my mind thatstill seemed tohope that one day my mom would return and find me here. You really have to start living your life. It has been so long.

“I’d really like to join you” I said in earnest, “any clues where to a start?”.”

“Well let’s pack, then. I’m ready as soon as you are.”

Don’t you need to recover first?

There’s no need, really.

We finally made it out of the door after I hastily pulled all my much needed belongings together. Which hadn’t been much. Some clothes, books I could carry and more essentials. I’m outside again. I’m really leaving. This is crazy.

The whole way along, azriel had seemed to sense my excitement, mostly leaving me to it. From time to time I would ask him about our way. And then I would take it in and often be lost back into my head. The snow seemed to be perfect today, when we started everything was quiet and the it had only reached a few inches up to our boots. As the day went on though, the white under our feets started to pile up.

“So exactly how do we find whatever place that is our destination?”, I asked him. To be perfectly honest I didn’t even really care, we were outside and I was as content with myself as I could probably be.

“There had been talk about some place bordering on the winter courts edges. Word first traveled around, when some merchander came back after his family had thought he’d died at some grueling event somewhere. But then they found him, half out of his mind, and he swears there were more folks. A whole kingdom,” with this he turned towards me, a question on his tongue. He thinks I might know about it. Nope. Wrong girl.

„This is the First Time I hear about This, Too. I have never wandered far from my house before. And before, I don’t think that my mother knew anything of this either,“ I replied, continuing to follow him through the trail we were taking. Another tidbit of what he was truly after. I had the feeling he wasn’t sharing all the details to his plans yet, which didn’t bother me too much. It seemed to more out of protection than anything else, and it wasn’t exactly normal for strangers to share their life stories with each other.

That didn’t mean that I was not very curious about him. From all the stories my mother has told me as a child, none of them really applied to azriel. Sure, he had the general marks and traits most fae must have, but his whole demeonor was radiating something... different. Maybe it was because he was from somewhere else, also the air surrounding him seemed to vibrate when he was more upset. He had told me about the work, he’d been doing for his court, still I hadn’t figured out what exactly it was that he traded in. When I asked him, he explained about his kingdom, and how he’s one of the messengers there and has to gain more information for his king. I didn’t doubt this one as he seemed fairly capable of doing whatever this information gathering Job was. Perhaps it had been his weakened state, when he first came in. There had been so much damage, that Azraiel at that time had almost seemed.... approachable. Now with his regained strength, there was more of a invisible barrier shining through, bringing more caution into the whole situation. He seemed to notice all her movements all the time, never coming nearer to me then necessary.

I noticed that coldness was creeping into my body, slowly first and after we wandered even more. Looking down I managed to see that my limbs were still attached. Not that I really felt them anymore. Azriel beside me didn’t seem to be better, his posturedidn’t show it directly but small signs here and there were betraying him. Sensing my stare, he turned his head at me.

“We have to stop, now, azriel. The temperature is getting dangerous.” He looked at the snow ahead of us, then turned back to me.

“Fine”, he said, “let’s head over to the woods”

We turned towards the trees, hoping to find something like a cave here. The landscape was quite interesting, if one thought about it. While the trees were all the way up to the sky,they still didn’t take all the light away.

With every step my legs started to slow a bit.

It was when I had almost thought we were going to sleep under a tree that azriel turned to me and gestured over to a place a few feet away.

“This might be the place, let’s head over”, he looked at me genuinely concerned when he saw me shaking. “Can you manage to walk there?”

“Yes yes of course.”

And thanks to all the gods who newer showed themselves , it was actually a cave hidden in all the snow, stepping the last few steps through the snow, we finally entered it. It wasn’t too deep, just enough for us to find some cover and avoid the freezing snow for a wile.

Immediately azriel startedbuilding up tents, while I tried to lighten a small fire. Slumbered I sighed, watching the flame alight.” Quick, azriel, this is so-“

A loud thud sounded behind me, when I turned he was laying flat on the ground. Not again, please be okay.

I ran over to where he lay in the snow, his body not much warmer than the ground beneath us. Panicking, I layed him on some of the coverings and threw all the warm blankets I could find in our bags over him. Please be okay, please.

Taking him in, I found that he seemed to be breathing, it was just that his cookie simply wasn’t right. I don’t believe anyone should be this blue. Laying on his back, his face was turned towards me, but he looked so lost as he lay there. Okay you can help, please think of a way. I could try magic, right? There must be a way. Thinking threw all the spells that my book contained, I went threw all of them in my head. A transferring spell. I can do it. I held a hand over his body, touching his middle and turned the other towards the small fire I had lit. Trying to remember the exact wordings, I changed them before me. Not much happened at first. Concentrating more, I tried to feel my surroundings more. This time I felt a warm tingle inside my hand. Thank the gods. I imagined the fire traveling through me, connecting, and wandering. Over to Azraiel. In my head it looked like a wandering light, setting the whole cave alight. Please stay w it h me, az. When I released the breath I was holding the whole time, I formed my thoughts so that all the Fire and warmth would flow into him. Taking a moment to come back to me, I blinked at the scene. Realization shot through me, when I felt that his chest had warmed up.

Stumbling back, I sat back and waited for him to wake up.

A while went by and finallly, although dazed, he blinked and then looked up at me. “Did I fall asleep?” Still annoyed at him for not telling me and letting me think for the second time that he was near his death, I turned towards him.

“Stop doing that, you have to start talking to me. You’re killing yourself likethis.”

He blinked, taking in the scenery, his eyes looking around taking everything in.

“Focus on me, az, you need to stop this behavior, as I said I really don’t want to wake up to a corpse.”

His eyes widened, still not fully awake, he tried to sit up and turned towards me.

“I’m .., i’m sorry,I didn’t mean to scare you... again“, He swallowed and then averted his gaze again .

Azriel ff

„And I promise to tell you the next time, Ihadn’t realized how worse my condition had gotten“,

By the times we settled into our sleeping arrangements, the sun had set, leaving us in a gloomy light. There was now a ready made tent and some light undercovers for us to lie on during the night. My eyes wandered over to Azriel, who was still trying to regain his body warmth. Descending from winter court, I had been a bit better off, leaving me with enough energy to get the fire ready and warm up something to drink.

Finally setting my mind, I walked over to azriel and bend down next to him. He was staring at the small fire before him, still deep in his thoughts. 

“We should sleep and try to regain our energy for tomorrow”, I said to him. “It’s been a tiring day.” Lifting his eyes to mine, he looked like he just remembered I was here, too. His shadows had seemed to darken when he was so deep in his thoughts, looking like his mind was connected to them. He cleared his throat and his voice sounded raspier than before. Must be the cold. “You’re right, let’s get settled then.” Just as quickly as it had come, the shadows were gone, snuffed out like the light from a candle.

Silence descended once again, when we made our covers for the night. I crawled into tonight’s makeshift bed and basically collapsed into it. This has been the most action I had in forever, and it was only the first day. Hope you need a companion for longer, az, I thought to myself, a smile starting to form. Next to me, azriel was moving around in his sleeping plaids. When he didn’t stop for a while, I looked over to him and saw that he wasn’t moving around but his limbs were trembling from the coldness. You idiot, they probably have warmer temperatures where he’s from. How do I never notice anything.

I pushed myself up to my knees, crawled over to where azriel was lying- not that there was much space in here- my sleep plaids in tow, and threw my blanket over both of us.

His eyes snapped over to me, confusion forming there.

“It’s necessary. Again, I’m not ready wake up to a corpse tomorrow.” Starring intensely at me, he managed to give me a nod and kept quiet. “Thank you”, was the last thing I heard before I also drifted into slumber. That night I saw a lotlots of fire birds in my sleep, lighting up the whole sky. Everything is going great.


End file.
